Staple #3: Banana Bread

We buy bananas on a weekly basis but only half the time do we make it through them before they start turning brown. As a result, I make a lot of banana bread. I realize you could do other things with them, like make smoothies or just suck it up and eat over ripe bananas but I prefer banana bread.

This recipe is from Mrs. Sturtevant, my parents’ neighbor in the 80s. I personally never met Mrs. Sturtevant or if I did I was still an infant but I have gown up knowing her name and enjoying her fabulous banana bread recipe.

If you don’t have time to make banana bread as soon as your bananas are ready, just pop them in the freezer. When you have the time, put them in a bowl and let them defrost on the kitchen counter the night before baking.

For tips on baking this at altitude or making it gluten free, see the notes below.

Banana Bread

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 50-60 minutes
Yields: 1 loaf

Ingredients

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, soft, room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

3 ripe bananas

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add in one egg at a time, mixing well after each. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, mash the bananas. Add a scoop of the flour mixture to the butter and sugar. Then add a scoop of banana. Alternate between adding flour and banana until there is no more of each mixture. When the batter is complete, pour it into a greased and floured bread pan (9″ x 5″). Bake for 50 minutes. To check for doneness, insert a clean toothpick or skewer in the center of the bread. If it comes out clean, it is done. Allow the bread to cool for 15 minutes in the pan before turning it out. Allow it to cool completely on a wire rack. Best enjoyed at room temperature.

Notes

• If baking at altitude, add 3 tablespoons of liquid to the batter. The liquid could be water or milk (I’ve used both with success). Bake for 1 hour instead of 50 minutes.
• To make this recipe gluten free, replace the all-purpose baking flour with gluten free flour. My prefer gluten free flour is Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour.